Hi, I just got 2 female rats and I was wondering what all i can feed them? ( And please no answer like why do you have a rat or feed them rat pioson)
Answers:
Feeding Pet Rats
Providing a Healthy Diet for Your Pet Rat
Feeding pet rats is not difficult, but it is important to use a diet specifically designed for pet rats for the bulk of the diet. There are some homemade diets recommended by experts, but you must stick to these very well and make sure your rats get a variety of fresh supplements, or else the diet can end up imbalanced. However, some commercial diets meant for rats can end up being imbalanced too, if the rat is able to pick and choose their favorite parts and leave the rest. For most owners, a combination of a good rat block and some fresh treats as supplements is the easiest and best way to provide a balanced diet.
Store-Bought Foods
Look for a diet made especially for rats. A pellet or block (essentially a large pellet) type diet is generally considered best. Loose mixes can be very well balanced and complete diets, but only if the rats eat everything in the mix, and many won't.
If you feed a block or pellet, they won't be able to pick and choose which parts they are eating. Look for a rat block with soy meal rather than corn high on the ingredient list, and one that is low in fat. The rat blocks can be available at all times. A commonly recommended diet is Oxbow Hay's "Regal Rat." A rat and mouse diet that meets the same general requirements (soy rather than corn, low calorie, low fat) is a good compromise if you cannot find a good rat diet.
Fresh Foods
Rats benefit from a variety of vegetables, fruits and and other fresh foods that help to keep them healthy. Keep in mind that serving sizes are pretty small (as in a teaspoon or half-inch cube) for a rat, so avoid giving large amounts of fruits or vegetables, or diarrhea may result. The following is a list of treats you may wish to try, keeping in mind that feeding a wide variety of foods is the best way to ensure optimum nutrition and health:
fruit: apples, cherries, grapes, banana, strawberries, other berries, melons, plums.
vegetables: broccoli, potatoes, peas, carrot, cooked sweet potato, kale, parsley, bok choy, squash.
cooked liver, other very lean meats (cooked)
whole wheat pasta and bread
cooked beans (including soya)
yogurt (especially with live cultures)
brown rice
unsweetened breakfast cereals
mealworms
small dog biscuits
some leftovers from your meals are okay in moderation, but avoid fatty or sugary scraps and items off the list below.
special treats (given only occasionally): whole nuts in the shell (almonds, brazin nuts, walnuts), sunflower seeds (high in fat), carob chips
What Not to Feed
Avoid feeding any of these items to pet rats:
chocolate
raw beans
raw sweet potato
cabbage, brussel sprouts
green potatoes
sweet sugary treats, any other "junk food"
caffeinated beverages
carbonated drinks
Store-bought Treats
For the most part, you are better off feeding the fresh foods listed above as treats. Many pet store treats, such as yogurt drops or the treat sticks are quite high in sugar and/or fat and should be given very rarely if at all.
Homemade Diet
Debbie Ducommun of the Rat Fan Club has published a recipe for a homemade diet claimed to be nutritionally complete and balanced. It is more time-consuming and expensive to produce a good homemade diet, but if you are interested you can find the information on the Rat Fan Club site: http://exoticpets.about.com/gi/dynamic/o... Hope My Info Helps
I think the question is why does a dog lover have rats?
Bread, cheese, fruit, nuts and there are some special foods at pet stores that you can get for them too!
The corn powder.
They can eat anything you eat, even meat. NO chocolate though.
Junk food will cause the same health problems for them as it does for us so keep it natural, keep it "in moderation", and you both will be fit and healthy.
Avoid salt, they easily get high blood pressure. No avocados, chocolate, or grapes. Besides those they can eat pretty much anything. Just make them well balanced meals. I just give my rat a little of what I eat and a lot of veggies. My rat loves a spoon full or 2 of dole gel fruit cups. Try different things and see what your ratty likes.
They say you can feed them any kind of food. But when i was younger we tried feeding them rabbit pellets and it died from them. Which is pretty much wat actual rat food is, but its really expensive. I would feed them dog food. You can get off brands for pretty cheap most of the time.
Here are some links:
http://wonderclub.com/wildlife/mammals/b...
ok whoa
you can feed rats chocolate. it's actually great for them in moderation if they're having breathing problems (which rats get a lot). it temporarily opens their lungs up.
they can also eat avacadoes. it's great for fattening up a sick or thin rat. they can't have the pits or the skin though. they can't have the pits of any fruit (peaches, nectarines).
male rats can't eat citrus cause its tough on their livers. don't feed them anything you wouldn't eat, they're not garbage disposals. although if you have apples that are mealy or have bruises, just chuck them in the rat cage and they'll have a ball.
limit fruit and vegetables to what they can eat in a day, or else their cage will get stinky, or buy a special feeder tray for fruits and veg.
their main food should be rodent 'lab blocks' that specifically say they are good for rats. Hagan has them, or SunSeed. never feed them loose seed mixes cause that's like the MacDonalds for rats and they'll get malnutrition and fat. Supplement their food with dog or cat food, and fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, or meat.
They also go wild for hard boiled eggs (shell and all) and they have no problem nibbling on chicken bones. Also, don't let them sneak any pop or anything carbonated cause rats can't burp.
Try everything and they will choose what they like.
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